EXCLUSIVE: RosterWatch 2017 NFL Combine WR On-Field Testing Grades

Thanks to our affiliation with the Pro Football Writers of America, RosterWatch has yearly access inside Lucas Oil Stadium to view every route run by every WR in attendance who elects to take part in the on-field portion of NFL Combine drills. The RW crew is a few of only 20-or-so media members allowed in, and certainly the only media entity in the world who grades each rep in Indy in order to create a quantifiable “grade” or score for the on-field portion of drills.

While there is much to be learned from the numbers that come from quantitative testing such as the 40-yard-dash and the vertical leap, it has been our experience over the last half-decade-plus that the on-field portion – and how the receiver runs his routes and catches the football comparatively to the others – is perhaps more predictive of future NFL success and subsequently fantasy relevance. In short, if history is any indication, this is very likely the most important tool of our offseason.

Every rep by each receiver is graded by the members of RW plus one former NFL scout on our proprietary grading sheet per the scale noted in the sheet’s bottom right corner. The average is taken from all graders for each rep. The sum of those averages equals the player’s total score.

Since 2012, this painstaking and maniacal practice has helped us identify under-the-radar prospects who had the movement skills, receiving abilities and general fundamental bases as pass-catchers and/or route-runners (such as John Brown, Albert Wilson, Martavis Bryant, Stefon Diggs, Jamison Crowder, Tyler Boyd and numerous others) that forced us to go back to the tape and examine them more closely.

This season is no different. In fact, it may be the most interesting and surprising set of numbers we’ve accumulated to this point. This is RosterWatch and these are our 2017 NFL Combine Wide Receiver On-Field Testing Scores.

Offseason question – in dynasty deep league (25 keepers)
I am so proud that I traded DGB and a 3rd for what wound up to be pick 1.01
I also got pick 102
and traded AJ Green for corey coleman and a 1st which turned out to be 1,12.
Here is my question, do I trade that 1,12 with a lowly team for his 1st next yr and a 3rd this yr ?
Hoping the 1st next season will be a top 4 pick
or do you think the class this season is so studly that 1,12 this season may amount to Kupp, OJ, or Zay ?